Updating vRed, SGLI keeps family protected

  • Published
  • By Kerry Glaser
  • 90th Force Support Squadron
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  The virtual Record of Emergency Data and Servicemembers Group Life Insurance forms are two of the most critical documents a service member is responsible for maintaining throughout a military career.

The vRED is used to contact the next-of-kin in the case of a serious injury or death. It is also used to designate a beneficiary to receive certain military benefits, as well as identifying the person authorized to make decisions regarding funeral arrangements and the final resting place of the service member upon their death.

The SGLI form is the only document recognized to identify the legal beneficiary for the member's Servicemembers Group Life Insurance payment should a death occur. Commanders, casualty assistance personnel and mortuary affairs personnel rely heavily on these two documents as a vital source of information when a crisis occurs, resulting in serious injury or death of the service member.

The primary goal of the Air Force Casualty Program is to provide prompt casualty reporting, humane notification and compassionate assistance to the next-of-kin when a casualty occurs. However, outdated or missing information on the vRED or the SGLI form can significantly impact this process, leading to undesirable results for the surviving family members. Injury or death notification can be delayed if the name and location of the next-of-kin cannot be determined due to incomplete or inaccurate information. Each year the service member is reminded through e-mail to review and update their vRED if changes have occurred. Also, each time the service member moves to another duty station, they must update their vRED to reflect a current address for themselves and for their dependents if they also relocated. For those members who reside in the dormitory, they must put down their physical address; either, the building number or the address of the building; the members mailing address is not the address to use.

The service member identifies who they want to be the beneficiary if an unfortunate event were to occur. However, the Office of SGLI and the Defense Finance Accounting Service states that a beneficiary under the age of 18 will not be paid until legal guardianship and conservatorship is obtained by the guardian. This could be a costly expense that the guardian might not be prepared to pay. DFAS and the OSGLI suggest that a legal age beneficiary be paid. To make changes to a vRED, go to the AF Portal and update the emergency contact info. To update the SGLI form, go to the Military Personnel Section's Customer Service Section, or visit http://www.insurance.va.gov and select SGLV Form 8286.

There recently was a case where the current spouse was told that the former spouse would be receiving the entire $400,000 SGLI payment because the husband had failed to update his SGLI beneficiary form at the time of his marriage to her. The SGLI form on file was accomplished during his first marriage, and since it was never updated, it was a legal binding contract requiring the entire amount to go to his named beneficiary, the former spouse.

It does not make sense to take out half a million dollars in civilian life insurance, pay a monthly premium, and not name a beneficiary -- leaving the laws of the state to decide who gets the money. Or leave a former spouse listed as the beneficiary after being remarried. That is exactly what is happening when vRED and SGLI forms are not updated.